NBA Announces Expansion; Welcomes Kansas City and Pittsburgh
June 1, 2016
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced today the official expansion of the National Basketball Association. Beginning in the 2017-2018 season, the league will welcome two new teams: the Kansas City Pioneers and the Pittsburgh Hammers. "We are very excited about the addition of two new franchises to our league. We feel that both Kansas City and Pittsburgh add rabid fanbases with unique qualities that should add a lot of excitement to the league," commented Silver after his press conference. "It's no secret that both cities are very passionate about their current professional sports franchises and we know it will be no different with the addition of an NBA franchise," Silver continued.
The Kansas City Pioneers will be joining the Northwest Division in the Western Conference as the Oklahoma City Thunder slide over to the much more geographically appropriate Southwest Division. The Pittsburgh Hammers will join the Atlantic Division.
The expansion draft for the 2017-2018 season will be held on June 20th, 2017.